Retiree visa investigation initiated before Senate revelations — regulator

THE Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) said it had sought the assistance of government investigative agencies to look into irregularities in the issuance of retiree visas before the Senate brought up the matter.

PRA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Roberto Z. Zozobrado said that he had asked the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Bureau of Immigration (BI), Department of Interior and Local Government, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to look into the improper issuance of Special Resident Retiree Visas (SRRVs).

“These four agencies I was (asking to meet) precisely because I wanted to strengthen the protection and the security measures we have,” Mr. Zozobrado told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of an event on Monday.

“Now that this thing blew up, the more now that I will really push through with this meeting” sometime this month, he added.

Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay raised concerns about the screening and vetting of visa applications, claiming that a so-called “Chinese mafia” was able to obtain such visas.

Mr. Zozobrado said that the requirements for SRRV applicants include a police clearance from their country of origin that is apostilled by the Philippine embassy or consulate serving their location, and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance after staying in the Philippines for more than 90 days.

“We also have access to the Interpol data… the moment we get a new retiree, we check right away in the Interpol database if they have any derogatory record,” he said.

“Those are the things (we require). Now, I don’t know what else we can do to determine if these people are legit. So, we’ll have to think of more ways,” he added.

Ms. Binay had raised concerns about the issuance of SRRVs to individuals as young as 35.

Mr. Zozobrado said the minimum age had been raised to 50 three years prior due to the growth of offshore gaming companies.

Another issue that has arisen, according to Mr. Zozobrado, involves a PRA staffer who was allegedly granting fake visas and victimizing retirees at visa renewal time.

“Actually, he was a clerk at our satellite office in Clark. He resigned, and after he resigned, he continued to issue fake SSRV identification cards (IDs),” he said.

“We have coordinated with the NBI, and we are producing all the witnesses in order to put this person in jail,” he added.

He also said that the PRA is also reaching out to BI to slash the penalty for retirees who were not able to renew their visas after being issued fake SSRVs. 

The BI revealed last week that four Chinese nationals, one of whom was a member of a criminal organization, had been taken into custody in Palawan on charges of “proliferation of fraudulently acquired government-issued IDs and documents.”

“Out of the four, two are SRRV holders or retiree visa holders. But we are still trying to check if these SRRVs or retiree visas are really genuine or if they are fake,” Mr. Zozobrado said.

During the March 19 operation, the BI seized several Philippines-issued IDs from the foreign nationals including drivers’ licenses, postal IDs, and birth certificates. — Justine Irish D. Tabile